Percabeth: Drowning in books
by fangirl2048
Summary: Piper, being the simply amazing friend that she is, decides to hand over 'The Fault in Our Stars' to Annabeth. So when Percy wakes up in the middle of the night to find Annabeth freaking out over a book, saying he's surprised is an understatement. CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR THE FAULT IN OUR STARS and minor spoilers for BoO. :D Not a crossover. Just a cute, fluffy one-shot.


**Thank you soooooooo much whoever reviewed my previous stories. Your reviews were seriously appreciated, and I was really touched that you enjoyed my writing. :DDDDD**

**Ik I promised you guys a caleo fanfic, but I just recently read the fault in our stars (again), which is seriously an awesome book (if u haven't read it, READ IT) and I felt the urge to write this. My reaction was pretty much the same as Annabeth.**

**THIS CONTAINS MAJOR SPOILERS FOR TFIOS. And ALSO BoO. **

-oOo-

"Piper, seriously, _it's just a book_!"

Gasping in shock, Piper raised her tear soaked face and gazed around the camp fire, struggling to find her opponent through the blur of tears clouding her kaleidoscope eyes. Her expression hardened when her eyes landed on poor, unsuspecting Reyna, who had absolutely no clue about what big of a mistake she had committed.

"Oh no, here we go again." Jason sighed sadly from his spot next to Piper on the log.

"J - just a book?" Piper spluttered. "JUST A BOOK?!"

She shot to her feet.

Eyes widening in alarm, Reyna shuffled backwards on her log. "I - I didn't mean-" She faltered as Piper stalked towards her, positively glowering. Leo, who was sitting next to Reyna with Calypso, promptly fell off his log.

When Piper reached a point when she was right in Reyna's face, she stopped. Her face softened. Her red eyes began to swell with tears. Reyna was horrifies when they began to drip down her already damp face.

"Oh, gods, I'm sorry, Pipes," Reyna stuttered. "I - I just meant that..." Poor Reyna trailed off, then cleared her throat. "I just meant, that instead of wasting your time crying over fictional characters, why don't you spend some time with us? Frank, Hazel and I are only here for a week, after all."

Piper started to fume again. Smoke was literally floating off of her. Jason and Annabeth readied themselves in case they had to leap up and break up a girl fight.

Then Piper sighed and stepped back. Staring around the campfire, where all of the seven were having a bit of a memorable reunion, her face sagged. "Oh, i feel so sorry for you guys..." she murmured. "You can't possibly understand how I feel."

"I don't think we want too," Leo muttered under his breath. "I mean, look at what it did to you?" Calypso hushed him.

There was a moment of silence as Piper sadly shuffled back to her seat and resumed hugging the novel to her chest while dramatically staring into the middle distance.

"Okay then." Everyone jumped, startled, as Annabeth abruptly broke the silence. "Give me the book."

"What?" Piper asked, confused.

"You said none of us understand how you feel," replied Annabeth matter-of-factly. "So hand me the book. I'll read it and check what's so special about it. What's it called anyway?"

"The Fault in our Stars," mumbled Piper miserably. "It's romance." She clutched the book closer, reluctant to hand it over. "By John Green: The Killer of all Fangirls."

"Okay. Give it to me."

Annabeth walked over to Piper and held out her hand, her expression firm, and her stormy eyes calculating. The rest of the seven looked thoroughly confused by the fact that Annabeth didn't seem at all fazed by Piper's sudden outburst.

Reaching her hand out to grab the book from Pipers grip, Annabeth was surprised to have her hand furiously batted away.

"Wait!" Cried Piper. "Just...let me say goodbye."

Annabeth's eyes widened. She heard snickers from behind her, and Leo whispering: "Looks like you've been replaced, Jason!"

Piper handed over the novel (after many more tears, sniffing the pages, stroking the spine and kissing the cover repeatedly), looking doubtful. "Not sure if you'll like it... I thought it would suck at first. Lacy gave it to me for my birthday. But I bet you anything, you're gonna cry."

"We'll see." Annabeth smiled. "I'm not much of a crier. But thanks."

With Piper still sniffling and Jason comforting her, Annabeth walked back to her seat beside Percy. She studied the cover curiously. It was blue, decorated with two clouds, one black and the other white.

The chattering continued for a while. Frank and Hazel were completing training in camp Jupiter, and Reyna was still in full ownership of praetor.

Piper and Jason were completing sophomore along with Leo and Calypso, while Percy, Annabeth and Rachel were halfway through their senior year. They were all currently enjoying their spring break, using it as a time to relax and get together again.

Slowly, the rest of the campers had dispersed after a hectic sing along, leaving only The Seven, Rayna, Rachel and Calypso behind surrounding the campfire.

Annabeth didn't bother to start the novel yet, but decided to curl up against Percy's shoulder and listen to the conversations around her instead. Percy's arm encircled her, causing her to feel warm and safe. And content. She smiled.

-oOo-

Percy's gentle voice bought her back to her senses, and she found herself being shaken awake.

"Annabeth. Annabeth, c'mon. Wise girl, wake up."

Groaning, she got unsteadily to her feet, novel still in hand. Everyone had already left. She and Percy were alone at the campfire. Together, they trudged back to Poseidon's cabin, which Annabeth had decided to make her permanent home. She and Percy couldn't spend even a night away from each other - especially after tartarus. During the school year, Sally had invited Annabeth to stay in her apartment anyways. So she and Percy were hardly ever apart.

Annabeth sighed as she stepped through the cabin doorway, Percy in tow. It was dark, the only light being the white glow of moonlight entering though the window. The bed looked warm and welcoming, and even though Percy was yawning and looking tired, Annabeth felt wide awake. She had had her little nap, after all.

It seemed her assessment was accurate. Percy was really worn out. So much so, he didn't even bother changing, but instead decided to simply slip off his Camp Half Blood shirt and literally fall into bed. He was snoring within seconds.

Smiling fondly, Annabeth gently pulled the covers onto him and tucked him into it, shielding his body. She stroked his cheekbone, then leant forward to press her lips to his unresponsive soft ones, giving him a feather light kiss. He looked so peaceful. It had been almost a year since the war, and Annabeth was relieved to discover that over time, the nightmares were becoming less horrifying. She couldn't handle witnessing her seaweed brain in any more pain.

Hurriedly changing into more comfortable clothing, she slid into bed next to Percy, clutching the novel in her hand. There was absolutely no hope of falling asleep now. She had gained her rest, and was now wide awake.

Once she had settled down comfortably, she flipped open the novel to chapter one and began to read in the comforting moonlight.

-oOo-

Percy was dreaming. He wasn't sure of what, exactly. He was experiencing one of those dreams where you have absolutely no clue what's going on, and everything's just huge, confusing muddled mess. But one thing was for sure.

Someone was crying. Deep, heavy heart broken sobs were reverberating around in his skull, echoing from the back of his head.

And he was certain that that someone was his Annabeth.

One tiny conscious part of his sleepy mind knew he had to wake up. Knew he had to get to her; to comfort her, make sure she was alright. And after a lot of difficulty, he forced his eyelids to crack open and meet the annoying beams of moonlight entering through the open windows.

And then his eyes landed on Annabeth. And he felt his heart get crushed beneath the heavy mass of her sadness.

She was enveloped in the thick, blue comforter. Her eyes were rimmed red, and steady tears were constantly dripping down her beautiful face. Her blonde curls were plastered to her face from the dampness of tears. She sat there next to him, clutching a book to her chest, while slowly rocking back and forth. Her wet, heart rendering sobs echoed around the cabin walls.

"Annabeth?"

Her breath caught. She had hardly noticed he was awake. Sniffling and wiping her eyes, she turned to look at Percy, whose face was filled with nothing but worry and anxiety, still gripping the book to her chest like her life depended on it.

"S - sorry." Her voice came out thick from tears.

"Gods, Wise Girl, what's up?" Percy sat up, and gently wrapped his arms around her. Gratefully, she settled into his warm, welcoming embrace. She laid her head on his shoulder, and he felt the dampness of her tear streaked face on his bare skin. Her warm breath fanned across his neck.

"It's - it's just the book."

"It's that bad?"

She chuckled, her voice husky and raw, but Percy was glad to hear her laugh. Moments ago, she had looked as if there was nothing else to be happy about in the world.

"No, Seaweed Brain, it's amazing," she whispered. "It's just... sad."

Percy thought about asking: Then why'd you read it? But he thought better of it and bit his tongue before the rash words managed to escape his mouth. Over the years, he had learnt it was always best to think before speaking to Annabeth. So instead he said: "Wanna tell me about it?"

Annabeth pulled back and looked mildly surprised that he hadn't asked a hasty and tactless question, but Percy knew he had no right to be offended. He couldn't really blame her.

She cleared her throat, then rested her head back on his shoulder, and began to speak into his skin, her voice muffled. "See, it's a long story. So, like, there's this teenage girl who has cancer, and she falls in love with this boy who also gets cancer-"

Percy kinda dropped out after that. He knew Annabeth was aware of what she had signed up for; that however much she spoke, Percy just wouldn't be able to keep focused for that long, no matter how hard he tried. Blame the ADHD. But they both knew Annabeth needed someone to talk to, even if it was his neck.

"-and then, together they went to Isaac's girlfriend's house to egg the building as revenge-"

And she went on and on, and again, Percy could feel the wetness of her warm tears on the skin of his shoulder. But she didn't stop, and he didn't stop her.

"-and then, Hazel got a call at three at the morning-"

-Percy mildly wondered how Hazel had entered this story-

"-and the dad was saying that Gus had died-" Her sobs were beginning to rack her slender, trembling body again, so Percy decided it was about time to start paying attention.

"-and that just made me think... h- how it would be for me if - if you-"

She gave up completely on talking then. She was crying way too much to continue anyway. But she didn't have to continue what she was saying. Percy already knew.

After squeezing her gently, he pulled back so he could look at her tear streaked face. The novel was still clutched tightly in one of her hands. Curse that dam book.

Percy opened his mouth to speak, but Annabeth spoke before he could.

"No!" She wept. "Don't tell me you'll never leave me, 'cause you will! We can't promise each other something like that." She wiped her eyes. "Any of us could get hit by a bus tomorrow, Seaweed Brain. Any of us."

A red hot wave of anger swept through Percy. How could Annabeth think like that? But as quickly as it came, the anger vanished. She was right, of course. As usual.

"Wise girl." She looked down, adamantly refusing to meet his eyes. "Annabeth, look at me. Annabeth." He hooked a finder under her trembling chin, lightly forcing her to make eye contact.

Hesitantly, her face streaked with tears, she looked up to meet his startling sea green eyes blazing with a bright fire of determination. And there was something else. There was also love.

He sighed. "You're right." Annabeth stared at him. It wasn't usual that he went without an argument. "You're right. You're completely right. Any of us could get slapped by a bus tomorrow."

"It's _hit_, Seaweed Brain," she mumbled sadly.

"Whatever. My point is..." He rubbed his eyes tiredly. "I know that I can't promise you something like that. How can I promise you something I'm not sure of? I can't. That's for the fates to decide. But I can promise you this: I will love you, ok? Maybe I can't promise you that I'll live forever, but I can promise you that I'll love you for as long as I live. If I die tomorrow, I'll love you tonight. If I die in a year, I'll love you for another twelve months. If I die in 10 years, I'll love you for a decade. But I swear on the river Styx, Wise girl, nothing _\- nothing_ \- is ever gonna change how much I love you."

Annabeth stared at him, gaping. Her eyes began to brim with tears.

_Again._

"And I didn't even have to write any of that!" He finished proudly.

Annabeth finally managed to crack a small smile. "Percy," she marvelled, "you should be an orator."

"Uhhhh... what?"

"Never mind."

Percy glanced at the book. "I'm gonna kill Piper."

"Okay."

"Okay?"

"Okay."

And without warning, Annabeth burst into tears again. "That's- that's their always!" She sobbed hysterically.

Percy just wrapped his arms around her again, and slowly pulled her back down onto the pillow. He kissed away each of the salty tears coating her face. Once her sobs had quieted, she burrowed her head in his chest, and Percy settled his chin on her head after dropping a light kiss in her hair.

Wedging a leg between both of his, Annabeth finally - _finally _\- drifted back into a deep slumber. The crying must have tired her out.

"And that-" Percy said to the empty cabin, "- is why I don't read."

-oOo-

Sunlight streamed in through the open windows. Annabeth was suffocating. She was enveloped in a cocoon of duvets wrapped so tightly she could hardly breathe. Not to mention she was sweating.

_Percy_, she thought drily. Only he would ever get so overprotective he would try to boil her to protect her from the cold.

"Percy," she moaned, still half asleep. "Shut the curtains."

When there was no reply, she pulled a hand out of the covers (which proved to be highly difficult and inconvenient) and patted the space next to her. It was empty.

A wave of sudden panic rode through her, and dread seized her in its horrifying hold. What if Hera had taken him again? What if he had left in the middle of the night - for some random god damn Percy-like reason - and hadn't ever returned? What if he had been attacked? Injured? What if-

A sound interrupted her terrified wondering. The comforting sound of water running from the direction of the toilet.

The relief which ran through Annabeth at that moment was so strong she could've cried. But she didn't. She couldn't possibly have any more tears left.

Slowly, she untwisted herself from the bundle of quilts strangling her, and stepped out of bed to meet the harsh reality of life. She stretched, and groaned loudly.

Then a horrifying sight caught her eye.

A puddle of water lay on the floor. And placed haphazardly in the middle - _completely_ drenched - lay The Fault In Our Stars. _The book_.

"Percy!" She screeched so loud she probably blew up the roof.

"What?" Percy ran out of the toilet, shirtless, and one button of his jeans still undone. He was armed with a sneaker in his hand. "Where's the spider?!"

"What," began Annabeth, pointing at the soaked book in the ground, "is that?"

Percy looked at the floor. Then he shrugged and dropped the sneaker. "It's a book."

"And why," Annabeth asked through gritted teeth, "did you feel the desperate urge to destroy it?"

Percy didn't miss a beat. He just simply stated: "Sorry, but... well, it made you cry, didn't it? I just didn't want you to read it again in case it hurt you like the first time."

All of the anger and shock escaped Annabeth in the blink of an eye. Percy had done that _for her_. To protect _her._

It was surprising how sometimes even the simplest of gestures could cause Annabeth to feel so touched. To feel so loved. And before she knew it, hot tears threatened to escape from the her eyes.

_Again._

"Oh, shit, I made her cry," Percy cursed quietly, but before he could do anything else, Annabeth leapt at him and smothered his soft, salty lips with her own.

-oOo-

"ANNABETH!" An ear splitting screech filled the air, coming from the direction of the Aphrodite cabin. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY BOOK?!"

"Thanks so much, man," Jason whispered fervently to Percy. They stood together outside the Aphrodite cabin. "You just saved my life. I don't think I can ever see Piper cry over that again."

"Dude, trust me, if there was anything I wanted less in the world, it's to see Annabeth cry over a book. It sucks. Big time."

"They don't let you get any sleep either."

"Yep."

"Well..." began Jason, rubbing his hands together, "I think we both know what's the right thing to do."

-oOo-

"JASON!"

"PERCY!"

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY BOOKSHELF?!"

-oOo-

**Well, that's that! I absolutely loved writing this, mainly because it contained two of my top fandoms: HoO and TFIOS*.**

**I sincerely hope none of you decided to be rebels and decided to read this despite the tfios spoiler warnings. You have my deepest apologies. Seriously, I'm sorry.**

**Btw, I know ruining not just a book, but an entire bookshelf, even if it is only in a fanfic, might be seriously shocking to all of us, and I'm sorry, but u know…. Percy and Jason just don't understand.**

**Please review if u liked it, and DEFINITELY review if you're a fan of tfios too!**

**Cheerio!**


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